Greens Launch Campaign to Protect Social Care

24 January 2013

On Friday 25th January, at 3 p.m. outside County Hall, County Green Group Leader and veteran health and social care campaigner Cllr Larry Sanders launched the Green Party’s campaign to protect social care in Oxfordshire with the campaign slogan, The people that pay should have a say: let Council Tax payers decide.

The Conservative run County Council are refusing to give people a chance to save essential care services that support elderly and disabled people in our community. The Greens are using their budget to call for a referendum on increasing Council Tax by 3.5%, so that funding for these vital services can be protected.

Cllr Larry Sanders says:

The Conservative County Council budget will make life even harder for people with disabilities. A small increase in the Council Tax of about 40p a week for the average household - less than the price of a stamp - used sensibly could bring in tens of millions of pounds of care money for Oxfordshire residents. Given the stark facts about the impact of more budget cuts, we believe the basic decency and good sense of the people of Oxfordshire will win out and allow Councillors to provide the money necessary to reduce the crisis in care.

After decades of underfunding by both Labour and Coalition Governments, families are being pushed to breaking point in attempting to care for parents, children and spouses. If these cuts go ahead, many more vulnerable people will suffer unnecessarily.

Green Party Leader Natalie Bennett says:

The Green Party rejects this government’s self-defeating and contradictory approach of trying to cut its way to growth, hitting the most vulnerable while providing tax giveaways to large corporations. You cannot put an economy back on its feet by throwing people out of work and undermining the public services that keep society ticking. I am proud to be part of a political party that has a vision for a better, more equal, healthier Britain.

The County Council budget will be decided at the Council meeting on 19th February 2013.